How to Catch a Star

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I like to use ‘Marking Ladders’ to provide steps to success to support children’s learning – they can be easily found if you Google them. I then like to change things a little by creating an instructional text ‘How to Catch a Star’. The children learn this text map and then innovate it, choosing their own way to catch one. This can be written up in a simple format following the key features of writing instructions. If you want to be less ethereal then Perry Como’s ‘Catch a Falling Star’ creates a more upbeat feel…

Jeffers uses words sparingly but when he does they’re the right ones - with classic lines like “He thought he could fly up in his spaceship and just grab the star. But his spaceship had run out of petrol last Tuesday when he flew to the moon”– such sparkles of humour make it a great read for adults too. This was Oliver Jeffers’ first picture book and is a beautifully illustrated sweet story all about a little boy trying desperately to catch a star to keep as his very own. I love Oliver Jeffers' books, especially his series about the little boy, of which this is the first book. We had already read the next book, Lost and Found, the one where a lost penguin turns up on his doorstep and he tries to help it find its way home again - such a wonderful book! This one is just as delightful, and really captures the kids' imaginations.To celebrate 10 years of this lovely story, I have a collection of printable activity sheets to share with you all. I gave Mr R some pens to draw on and decorate the silver stars, as foil is a different texture which he hasn’t used for mark making before. Why does the boy think the star looks really big? Connect the dots in this How to Catch a Star dot to dot activity sheet to find out. Printable How to Catch a Star Mobile Craft to Make Finally he sees a star ‘floating’ in the water and he thinks this is finally his chance get his prize – and so he does as a star fish washes up on the shore. The ending to this book really is uplifting and heartwarming as the little boy realises his dream and catches his very own ‘star’. It’s the sort of adventure children would love to imagine themselves in and at the same time can relate to his determination - that’s possibly why they love reading it. It has a happy ending, and the boy does get a star for a friend (or possibly just a washed-up dead starfish), but it's really interesting the range of emotions he goes through over the course of the story, and seeing how kids relate to them. Two-year-olds are especially attuned to characters from stories who become sad, and there is a scene where the boy is so forlorn and dejected that young readers are really concerned for him. All good signs of developing empathy.

The young boy loved stars so much, he wanted to have one of his very own. I loved how the boy originally wished for a star and how he imagined his life would be, once he got his new star friend. The illustrations compliment this story nicely and I think they showcase what the text is trying to accomplish. The illustrations draw you in, they move you through the story. Book Genre: Academic, Adventure, Childrens, Environment, Fantasy, Fiction, Growth Mindset, Nature, Picture Books, Psychology, School, Space, Storytime I also love the story ‘Katie and the Starry Night’ which works beautifully with the Oliver Jeffers book and can lead to art activities based on the Van Gough painting. The simple illustrations can be used as a sequencing activity on a time line or a washing line as the children retell it independently. Can you spot the four differences between these two pictures from Oliver Jeffer’s How to Catch a Star? How to Catch a Star Maze PrintableThere once was a boy who followed his dream. Although the end result wasn’t exactly what he had originally planned, what he received was perfect. Oliver Jeffers does it again, as my heart was singing when I finished reading this book and I immediately, had to reread it. I have found that a Talk 4 Writing approach works really well with this story as it has a simple and repetitive structure that is easy to learn orally through use of a simple story map. It lends itself to fun actions too. Once there was a boy and the boy loved stars very much. Every night the boy watched the stars from his window and wished he had one of his very own.

My boys have been enjoying the book and doing the activity sheets which has given them more opportunity to talk about the story.I can’t believe we had not come across this book before! But it’s definitely better late than never and we have been really enjoying this lovely story. Grab your crayons and pencils and have fun colouring in this How to Catch a Star picture. How to Catch a Star Maze

Mr Z was in charge of the drawing, and he enjoyed having the template to help him achieve a neat star shape. We made lots, using both the smaller and larger stars as templates Once they were cut out we collected the together and got ready to wrap them in foil. We simply measured suitable sized squares of silver kitchen foil and put a snip either side of each star point to allow us to wrap the foil around the stars neatly. In areas of provision stars can be hidden in foam or gooey gloop, caught and threaded onto string or wool. They can be made in salt dough or play dough, star shapes can be used for printing, glittery stars can be made from card and beads threaded onto string to make tails… Print out the six pieces to make your own How to Catch a Star mobile craft, using the instructions below. How to Make The How to Catch a Star Mobile